Washington: With the American Embassy School in New Delhi under the scanner for alleged violation of India's tax and visa laws, the US sought to sidetrack the issue by suggesting that it was not run by the embassy.
Asked to comment on a New York Times report on Thursday that female spouses of couples intending to teach at the school were asked to list their occupation on visa applications as "housewife," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki instead offered a bit of "history".
"Let me give you all a little more history here," she said. "Since 1952, when the Embassy exchanged diplomatic notes with the Government of India to establish the American Embassy school, the school has succeeded in providing an international education in New Delhi for the children of diplomatic and expat business communities."
"It is not run by the Embassy. Only about a third of the students there are American," Psaki said. But "We are in discussion with the Government of India regarding issues they have raised concerning the school."
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns had "discussed these very issues" with Indian Ambassador S. Jaishankar "earlier this week," she said.
"And we are committed to resolving them through diplomatic channels and to addressing the concerns that have been raised."
Asked if the US government took no responsibility for the school even though it was located within the embassy compound, she repeated "We're committed to addressing these concerns that have been raised."
"We'll work those through diplomatic channels, and we've already had conversations at a very high level about them."
